Lies
by elenam1996
Summary: She needed a fresh start, away from the lies. Rosewood was just what she was looking for.
1. Last Glance

**Hi everyone!**

 **I found an old story in my computer the other day. I wrote it almost two years ago and it's almost finished. I actually published two chapters weeks ago, but I realized there were many mistakes left so I corrected them.**

 **The story is about Spencer and Toby and the final episodes gave me some inspiration to continue it and I thought why not?**

 **It's completely AU, but I hope you'll still like it!**

 **Have a good read!**

 **Chapter I: Last glance**

"So… » Spencer thought, "This is it" She glanced one last time at the old red brick building she had been living in for the last four years. 18, Wolf street, app. 12, that was the address she had considered like home for years. Now all it reminded her was the pain she had felt in the last weeks she had lived there.

During four years she had been happy with him. She was going to college and he was a resident in cardiology. She thought her whole future was planned; she would graduate and he would finish med school. Then, he would ask her to marry her. They would later buy a great house with a large porch with rocking chairs, a yard with a white picket fence and big oak tree. Not much later they'd have start talking about children and they would have had three; two girls and a boy. She even had thought about names: Rose, Lexie and Theo.

Yep, that was perfect in Spencer Hastings's imagination, but she had forgotten something in her perfect plan… Wren was Melissa's ex-fiancé. Her sister's ex-fiancé. That meant that one day he had loved her, a lot, and Spencer was just the younger sister who happened to fall desperately in love with her sister's boyfriend.

Of course, after he had broken off his engagement to Melissa, Wren had returned Spencer's feelings for four long years. But then he had run into Melissa at a concert in Philly.

In four years with Spencer it was the first time he had ran into the oldest Hastings ever since their break up. The Hastings parents weren't exactly Wren's biggest fans after the way he had left their Melissa, so he was never invited for Christmas or anniversaries as Spencer's boyfriend. The preferred to pretend that he didn't exist and that didn't make a lot of occasions for the two ex-fiancés to run into each other. The whole Wren subject was taboo and only the source of bickering in the Hastings household.

But Wren did eventually bump into Melissa that one night at the concert, after a bad fight with Spencer. He was awfully drunk, having wanted to drown his anger with Jack Daniels instead of dealing with the fight, and Melissa still held resentment towards Spencer for stealing her fiancé. It only took one word from her to get them both back in old habits.

Hours later, Spencer was coming back to their apartment after a night out with two college colleagues. The instant she opened the door, she could sense that something was off. It was too dark, too silent, too everything.

When she eventually found her sister sprawled in her bed with nothing to cover her naked form but the sheets, Spencer felt like the dumbest girl in the world.

Wren pleaded for her to not leave, but she was so mad. Of all the girls he could have chosen to cheat on her with, he had chosen Melissa, her own sister? Yes she had been the first one to date Melissa's ex, but she had never done anything while Melissa and Wren were still engaged! She had waited two months after their break up to allow herself to even do as much as talk to Wren. How could Wren do that to her? He knew how her whole life Spencer had always felt inferior to Melissa. When Spencer won a tennis tournament, Melissa was selected for the national team. When Spencer got an A+ on an assignment, Melissa won a prize for the best essay. She had always been the favourite, and Wren had just proven her that she would always be even though she had confided in him about all her insecurities.

At those thoughts Spencer felt the tears come and she shook her head, "No!" she thought, "I won't spend a single more tear on those two!" She was leaving Philly and it was for the best. She had a job waiting for her in a new city. She should be happy.

Without turning back, she handed her suitcases to the taxi driver who was waiting for her. The rest of her things would follow in the truck. And when the driver started the car and drove down her street, she didn't glance back once at her old life.


	2. Welcome to Rosewood

**Chapter II: Welcome to Rosewood**

She unlocked the door and opened it slowly, making the old hinges creak.

It was 10 A.M. and the morning sun was lighting the room softly, adding a charming glow to her new leaving room.

It wasn't bad. True, her new building was old, but it was really clean. And she had always loved old things, there was a sort of charm to it, like you could feel that the place was full of life. Her parents, on the opposite, despised old things. They had moved three times during her childhood and it was always in newly built houses. Every time something broke they always threw it away instead of repairing it and every season her mother would get rid of her clothes and buy a whole new wardrobe. She didn't know if it was because she didn't want to be like her parents or if she really did love old stuff, but Spencer always preferred to keep her things as long as she could and decorate with antics.

Her new apartment was just like she pictured it in her teenage dreams. The floor was made out of rough wood and the walls were all painted in white. The kitchen cabinets were made out of old wood painted in white and chipped in many places. She could totally imagine how she'd make the place look vintage with all of her furniture she had brought from Philly.

Wren might have cheated on her, but he at least had had the decency to respect her wishes when she had decided to move out. So when she told him that she wanted to take all the furniture with her, since she had been the one who had looked in flea markets to find the perfect pieces, he simply agreed, not wanting to make things worse than they already were. A doctor could pay for new stuff anyway. Spencer, on the other hand, was only a freshly graduated history and French teacher with a salary that would in no way equal Wren's.

But the thing was that cash and stuff like that didn't matter to Spencer, much to her parents' dislike. They had always hoped that Spencer would become a lawyer just like them, and just like Melissa. Once again, when Spencer chose her major, they had made her feel like she wasn't as good as Melissa. Oh she could have gone to law school! She most definitely had the grades, but it wasn't what she wanted.

She loved to teach and loved both history and French. She had discovered her love for teaching in high school when she had been asked to tutor a student in French. And she loved the language. It was so different from English! Yes, it was complicated, but that made it even more interesting for Spencer. History was also a subject she liked very much. It was captivating to understand where we come from.

If her parents couldn't agree with her choice, it was their problem! In 24 years of existence Spencer had learned better than to be bothered by her parents' lack of interest for her person. It didn't mean that sometimes she wasn't frustrated by it, but she tried to not care as much as she used to. She had tried so hard for so long to please them, but it always led her to greater deception. It was better to not try at all.

Still, two hours later, as Spencer looked around her place and saw all her boxes and furniture that she had to take care of, she wished that she was on better terms with her parents. If she was, they would have come to help her move her things and set her new apartment, just like they had done for Melissa the spring before. She dreaded doing all that on her own. She didn't know where to begin. At least she had come the day before to clean everything so she just had to put things in their respective place, which would only take forever.

As she was about to start opening the first boxes, Spencer heard a loud knock on the door. She wondered who it could be, she didn't know anyone in Rosewood yet.

"Hi there! I'm Hanna! Your new neighbour!" said a very excited blond as she opened the door.

"Hi!" replied Spencer, quite surprised by the gesture. In Philly, everyone was always too busy to welcome new people.

"I saw you from the window earlier when you were outside with the moving truck and realized that you seem to be alone to move in. I just thought you could use the help!" she offered with a shrug as if it was the most natural thing to do: offer your help to a total stranger.

Spencer was taken aback; she most definitely wasn't expecting that, "Yeah, of course that would be awesome! But really, I don't want to bother you…" she added after a second thought, trying to sound not too desperate at having help.

"No! It's a pleasure! My boyfriend is on a fish trip with his best friend and I've got nothing to do. I was so bored! Then I saw you and you seemed friendly so I thought why not? I could really use a friend around here! Before you arrived my boyfriend and I were the youngest people in the block so it's hard to bound with the neighbours. They are all like pretty old and they play cards and bowling, not really my type," Hanna trailed off when she saw Spencer amused grin.

"What?" she asked.

"Why are you looking at me with that smile? Are you laughing at me?" Hanna asked a little irritated.

"You just are the person who talks the most in the entire world!" laughed Spencer.

"Look, I just want to help! If you don't want me here just tell me," said Hanna rather harshly.

"I'm sorry Hanna, I wasn't laughing at you! I just…. I had a rough couple of months and I just find you amusing. I would really like you to stay and help me. You seem friendly. And I like people who talk a lot," Spencer said softly.

"Well then, you and I will get along just fine!" said Hanna with a smile. "Where do we start?" she added.

* * *

"So I was like: "Look, Hanna know what Hanna means!" Hanna said with hand gestures as she finished telling Spencer a story about a diner that hadn't gone like she hoped.

Hanna had been talking non-stop ever since she had knocked on Spencer door, but that didn't stop her from working. Spencer was really surprised to see how helpful her new neighbour could be. It was close to 6 P.M. and the biggest of the work was done. They had cleaned and stored the dishes, Spencer's books and CD's in alphabetical order, which owed Spencer a loud "Who is that Chopin guy?", the bathroom was set and they had gone through Spencer's clothes, which really disappointed Hanna: "Do you own at least one thing that doesn't look like it's perfect for a meeting with the Queen? We seriously need to take you shopping for some funky clothes!"

Now that it was close to dinner time, Hanna was hanging Spencer's floral curtains in the living room while Spencer was busy trying to adjust her new bedding. It was both their last chore for the day; they were exhausted.

"Hey Hanna, what about calling pizza?" called Spencer from her bedroom.

"Oh! The moving-in pizza! I would love to!" said Hanna with enthusiasm.

"Great! I'll call it for in half an hour?" she suggested.

"Perfect!" cried Hanna.

"What? The pizza or my curtains? » joked Spencer as she entered the living room to see Hanna putting the final touch to the newly hanged curtains.

"Both! Seriously Spencer, you really have great taste! I wouldn't be surprised if you'd tell me it is your job! I want an apartment as perfect as yours!" whined Hanna.

"Oh thank you Hanna! I actually spent a lot of time planning my moving and the decoration. It helped me take my mind off… things," she said unclearly, not wanting to tell her new neighbour about her failed love life yet.

"Of what things?" asked Hanna casually.

If Spencer had learned one thing during that afternoon with Hanna was that the woman was extremely curious. She didn't want to be intrusive. She just didn't think about it. She talked so naturally about everything that happened to her, personal things even, that she often forgot that everyone wasn't like her. In only a couple of hours, Spencer had learned that Hanna had lived in Rosewood her whole life. She had met Caleb, her boyfriend and soon to be husband in high school. Her parents were divorced and she almost never saw her father anymore. He had remarried a woman named Isabelle who had a daughter who was the devil incarnated according to Hanna. Her mother owned The Radley, the chic hotel of Rosewood, which actually was a psychiatric hospital years ago. Hanna had also inherited her mother's taste for business, because she owned a clothing boutique on Rosewood's main street.

What Spencer had told about herself was that she was moving from Philly and that she had found a new job as a history and French teacher at Rosewood High. That was it. It's not that she didn't like Hanna, she just wasn't ready to share with her personal information. So she wasn't about to tell her about Wren and Melissa.

"You know, the stuff you don't want to think about, stressful things…" she trailed off.

Probably sensing her discomfort, Hanna quickly changed the subject: "Oh I totally understand! A couple of weeks ago, for the fourth of July, Caleb and I were supposed to receive all our friends and family for the day and I was so stressed out about having my father over. I threw myself in clothes designing to keep my mind off him and it totally worked! I think I made the greatest fall collection ever! You should see it! We could totally find you a less preppy and more sassy look for your beginning at Rosewood High!" exclaimed Hanna.

Spencer laughed. She really was going to like Hanna. She had light humour and she felt like she could totally talk about every foolish thing she wanted. Her old high school friends were all the children of her parents' friends. They were uptight, stressed out and never talked about anything else than school and grades!

"You know, I'm going to be a teacher, I do need to look preppy and serious if I want to have an ounce of authority over a bunch of teenagers barely younger than me!" laughed Spencer.

"Oh come on! You'll be great! My friend Aria actually works there as an English teacher and I swear that without her heels on, which she takes off only for bed, she's not higher than 5 foot or so! And every kid out there respects her!" argued Hanna.

"Seriously? Your friend works there?" asked Spencer, hoping to get along with her colleague as much as she did with Hanna.

"Yeah! Well, It's actually her first year too, but she made her traineeship there. That's where she met her boyfriend Ezra. He actually was the teacher who trained her. And my friend Emily works there too. She's the swim coach!" said Hanna, "Oh my god! It's so cool! We're all going to be friends!" she exclaimed

Spencer laughed, Hanna was such an enthusiastic person, "I hope so, it's been a while since I've had friends," she said, realizing that during her four years with Wren she hadn't met anyone that she could call her friend.

Yes, she had Wren and some acquaintances from school, but no real friends with whom she could share deep conversations or call for help. She spent all her free time either with Wren or Wren and his friends. He never wanted to spend time with the few people she met, because he said that the age gap would make it awkward for him. When she replied that it didn't stop her from spending time with HIS friends, he always answered that it was because she was mature for her age, and that it was why loved her, but only know she realized how he was just manipulating her.

"Oh! I'm sorry Spencer…" said Hanna, not knowing what to say for the first time that day.

"Oh no! Don't be!" replied Spencer, "I wasn't trying to make you feel bad. And I wasn't affected by it, I just was really busy with school and everything!" she added casually.

It was true. During college she never felt depressed about not having friends. She thought she was happy with only Wren. It was just now that she could look back that she realized every opportunity she had missed.

"Well, no matter what, things are going to change I'm pretty sure because I really like you Spencer Hastings," said Hanna matter-of-factly.

"And I like you too Hanna Marin,"

* * *

TBC


	3. New Job and New Boy

**Wow everyone! Thank you so much for all the good reviews! I have to admit that I didn't know if the story would interest anyone, but I'm glad it does.**

 **I try to answer to each review individually, but for the guest ones I can't so I just want to say thank you very much here again!**

 **I hope you all love next chapter!**

 **Chapter 3: New job and new boy**

"So here will be your office Miss Hastings" said the principal, showing Spencer a small, but cozy room that she would be able to call hers. Her name had yet to be written on the brass plate next to the door, but it was still hers and only hers.

"Thank you principal Hackett," replied Spencer.

"If you need anything, you can ask my secretary or any staff member. They are aware that a new colleague is joining our team this year, along with Miss Montgomery who was trained here. They should be glad to help you. Now if you excuse me, I have to meet the architect to see how the building of the new annex is going. It was supposed to be finished two weeks ago, but a storm destroyed a part of the work at the end of July. Let's just hope it will be ready for the beginning of the classes!" said the principal with a sigh, before disappearing down the hall and leaving Spencer by herself in her new office.

She wasn't alone for long though because she soon heard someone knock at her door. Since the door was opened, when she turned she immediately saw the person waiting for her and she recognized her in one single glance. Hanna was right; that woman was small!

"Hi! I'm Aria, Aria Montgomery, I'm Hanna Marin's friend?" said the woman to present herself, suspecting that Hanna had already talked to Spencer about her.

"Of course! Hi Aria, I'm Spencer!" she answered extending her hand to shake.

Aria took it enthusiastically; "I just wanted to say hi since Hanna talked to me so much about you!"

"It's nice to meet you! Hanna talked about you so much too! She told me that you actually worked here as a trainee? How was it?" Spencer asked, wanting to get to know better not only her new school and employer, but also a new colleague.

"Really great, and complicated!" she sighed, "Hanna must have told you about my… situation?"

"About you and the teacher, Ezra Fitz?" Spencer said, trying not to sound like she knew too much, which she did, thanks to Hanna.

"Yep!" Aria shook her head, "I knew she told you! She likes to gossip so much!"

Aria chuckled, "Anyway, now I can laugh about it because it's behind me, but it was so complicated last year! I'm going to give you one advice and one only: Do not fall in love with the trainees or the students, too much drama!"

"You can count on me!" joked Spencer, already knowing that that was out of the question. Not only would they be too young for her, but also her mind was so far away from a relationship that she knew she had nothing to be afraid of.

"So, this is your first job too?" asked Aria, already knowing the answer, but still wanting to make conversation.

"Yeah, I'm actually quite anxious about all this!" Spencer admitted.

"Don't be! It's really a great school! The kids are great and the staff too! You'll like it here!" said Aria to reassure her.

"Thank you Aria, really" replied Spencer sincerely.

"No problem! I gotta go, but it was nice meeting you Spencer. Don't hesitate if you need anything, I'll be glad to help!" said Aria before leaving.

Spencer smiled to herself as Aria was walking down the hall. She really was going to like it in Rosewood. People were already more friendly to her than they had ever been back in Philly. She was really glad to have a fresh start away from them, away from Wren and away from all his lies.

* * *

"Damnit!" cursed Spencer as she dropped one of the two boxes she was getting out of her car. She had wanted to be lazy and make only one walk from her car to her office with all her stuff, but it was resulting in a big mess and a broken mug that crashed into pieces when she dropped her box. Her favourite coffee mug… Wren had bought it for her when she started college. Thinking about it, maybe it was better that way. The less she would have a reason to think of Wren, the better she'd feel.

She went to rest the other box on the floor to take care of the one that had crashed on the pavement, when she saw someone next to her and start to pick up the things she had dropped.

"Here, let me help you" said a gentle masculine voice.

"Thank you really, I shouldn't have try to take as much stuff at the same time," chuckled Spencer at her own stubbornness.

"Yeah, I was actually watching you from over there and I felt it coming! You couldn't even see in front of you!" joked the guy slowly picking up her things.

Spencer crouched next to him and started putting the things he handed her in the box. Suddenly, she caught his glance and her breath hitched in her throat. The guy had the most mesmerizing blue eyes she had ever seen! She stared into his eyes, and so did he for a couple of seconds before they were interrupted by the ringing of the man's phone. It took them both out of their trance. The man went to answer his phone while Spencer continued taking care of her mess, but with both cheeks bright red.

The man had walked a couple steps away from her to answer the phone and he currently had his back to her. She took the opportunity to eye him once more. He was a few inches taller than her, had messy light brown hair and he was quite handsome! She caught a glimpse of his toned muscles while he moved his arms around, apparently having a rough talk. Suddenly, he hung up his phone before running his hands through his hair and turning around, back to Spencer.

Spencer immediately went back to her mess, not wanting to be caught staring.

"I'm sorry, I really had to take this call," apologized the still unnamed man.

"Oh! Don't be sorry, it's alright, thank again for helping me, you had no obligation," replied Spencer busying herself with her stuff to avoid looking at the man. She didn't want to blush or stutter and look like a foolish college girl.

She went to pick up the broken glass of her mug in one quick (too quick) motion and nastily cut herself.

"Ouch!" she cried feeling the sting of the cut and seeing blood seeping out if it.

"Are you alright?" asked the man, once again crouching next to her.

"Yeah, it's nothing, I just cut myself with that stupid broken mug!" replied Spencer stubbornly looking down at the floor.

"Let me see," asked the man gently.

"No, no need to, it's alright, I'm just going to wash it and it will be alright!" said Spencer, still not looking at him and trying to finish collecting her stuff quickly, dropping blood on her pencil case in the process.

"Come on! I don't really know you, but wow! You really can be stubborn. You tried to take those two boxes all by yourself and now you don't want me to help! Just let me it will be easier and you'll be done quicker, I promise," said the man softly.

"Ok," sighed Spencer finally looking at him and showing him her hand.

He took gently in his and took a bottle of water out of one of Spencer's boxes.

"May I?" he asked, pointing to the bottle.

"Of course," said Spencer.

He softly let the water run on Spencer's cut and when it was clean enough, took out a band aid from his pocket.

"You have band aids in your jeans pocket?" asked Spencer, amused.

"Hey! I work in construction! You never know when it will come in handy!" said the man to defend himself before he applied it to Spencer's wound.

"Here you go! All set," he said with a smile before letting go of her hand, much to Spencer's disappointment.

"Thank you," said Spencer softly. "So you work in construction?" asked Spencer, not ready to say goodbye to the stranger yet, even if she wouldn't admit to anyone.

"Yeah, well, actually I'm an architect, I designed the new annex for the school," answered the stranger with a shrug, as if it was nothing while it was the complete opposite in Spencer's mind.

"Seriously? Wow! I'm impressed!" said Spencer with sincere admiration.

"Yeah, well maybe you shouldn't be! Everything went wrong! It was supposed to be finished two weeks ago, but a storm destroyed a part of it in July. On top of that, I'm now short on workers because their contract ended and some of them already had other work planned. The principal is mad! I don't know what I'll do!" said the man with exasperation.

Spencer put a comforting hand on his forearm: « I'm sure you'll find a solution! You still have a week and a half before the beginning of classes, » she said reassuringly.

"Thank you… Hey! I didn't catch you name" said the man with realization.

"Yeah, well I made a big mess so we didn't have time for presentations," she joked, "I'm Spencer, Spencer Hastings"

"Well, Spencer Hastings, my name is Toby Cavanaugh, glad to meet you!" he answered, extending his hand to shake.

Spencer took it enthusiastically "Glad to meet you too, now if you excuse me, I should get going and drop those in my office" she added gently, pointing to her boxes.

"Then you'll let me help you because after the first catastrophe I can't let you carry them both by yourself," said Toby in a serious tone.

"No, it's alright, you've already helped me a lot, I'll just make two trips to my office," argued Spencer.

"Come on! Are you always that stubborn?" laughed Toby.

"Ok then, only because you insist," finally accepted Spencer with a shake of the head. That Toby guy was the first one in a long time who succeeded at having the last word with Spencer Hastings, and she liked it.

* * *

TBC


	4. Intrusive Friends

**Hello again!**

 **Wow : ) I'm so pleased with all the good feedbacks I have gotten for this story! Thank you to everyone for your support it really means a lot!**

 **I hope you all love this new chapter as much!**

 **Chapter 4: Intrusive Friends**

"Come on man! What's with you today? We've been here for two hours and you said close to nothing!" said Caleb.

"Sorry Caleb, it's nothing," answered Toby taking a sip of his beer.

It was Friday night and both friends had decided to hang out together and watch a football game at a sport pub while Hanna and her friends were having a girl's night, checking wedding dresses, flowers, cakes and all other stuff women like to do when one of them is engaged.

Caleb wasn't convinced by Toby's answer but didn't say anything else because he knew that when Toby was like that, it was better to not pressure him and to let him do the talking only when he was ready.

"Well, if it's nothing get yourself together and go talk to that cute blond over there, she's been eyeing you ever since we arrived!" Caleb told him with a pat on the shoulder.

"No thanks, I'm not in the mood," simply said Toby with a shrug, taking another sip of his beer and taking back his attention to the game.

But Caleb had decided that they were apparently not going to watch the game, "Okay what is with you? It's Friday night, you're single and a cute girl keeps looking at you, why don't you want to just go and talk with her? You keep watching the game, but you don't even like football" asked Caleb, clearly confused by his friend behaviour.

"Okay… promise me not to laugh!" finally said Toby with a sigh, regretting his decision to talk as soon as the first words left his lips, but now was too late to back out.

"I promise, just tell me what is with you?"

"I… » Toby started.

« Come on!" Caleb urged him.

"Hey! If you want me to tell you, give some time. I won't be able to say anything if you keep interrupting me!"

"Sorry," said Caleb sheepishly, motioning that he wouldn't say another word.

"All right… I met a girl earlier this week…"

"Hey! That's great Toby! Why didn't you tell me? Will I meet her soon?" Caleb said, harassing Toby with millions of questions.

"Jeez! Hanna is really starting to transform you into a high school gossip girl! If you'd let me finish maybe I could answer to all those questions!" replied Toby slightly irritated.

"I'm sorry mate, I'm just really glad for you! You haven't met anyone since Yvonne left you two years ago!"

"I know Caleb, I needed time! We were engaged for god's sake!"

"Well then, I'm really happy for you and I can't wait to meet the girl," Caleb said.

"That's the problem, I don't know if you will, I don't even know if I'll see her again!"

"What? Why?" Caleb asked confused.

"I met her at Rosewood High, she teaches there, she had dropped boxes from her car and I helped her carry them to her office. We talked a lot too and I was about to ask her if we could see each other again, a coffee, a diner at a restaurant, anything, and I think she sensed it because one minute we were happily laughing about how the principal's last shirt buttons had been unmade all day, and the next she was running away from me," admitted Toby with a sigh.

"What do you mean?" asked Caleb

"Here's what happened:"

 _They had finally made it to Spencer's office and nothing else had been broken on the way. Toby could feel that Spencer was glad she had accepted his offer to help her. Her stuff was really heavy!_

" _You can put that box on the floor, I'll sort things out later," suggested Spencer while resting her own box on her desk._

 _Toby did as told and whipped his hands on his jeans, hoping that it wasn't the end. He had met the woman only minutes ago, but somehow he felt like he needed to know more about her. There was something that made him want to stay in her office all day and simply talk._

" _You really have a nice office," he simply stated, admiring the room._

" _Thank you, I really like it too, my first office," said Spencer with a big smile._

" _Is it your first job as a teacher?" Toby asked with curiosity._

" _Yeah, I graduated in April and then I started looking for jobs, I was hired at the end of July," answered Spencer._

" _That's great! Are you from here? I don't recall seeing you in Rosewood," replied Toby who had been living in Rosewood all his life and knew basically everyone._

" _No, I'm actually from Philly, but I didn't feel like working in the big city. I went to high school and college there and didn't exactly like it. A small town corresponded better to what I was looking for,"_

" _It's great that you found exactly what you wanted," Toby said._

" _What about you? Have you been an architect for long?" asked Spencer._

" _No, two years only, but it was my grandfather's business and I've been helping him ever since I was 12. As soon as I graduated, he hired me as his associate. I really like working with him," he said with a smile._

" _You seem really good at that job, I mean, from what I've seen of the new annex," explained Spencer._

" _Thank you, but that job isn't easy, with all the complications going on, and the principal is always mad about me… I hope it won't impact on the business; he said he wasn't going to recommend us for any work in Rosewood!" said Toby with a look of incertitude._

" _Don't listen to that old man. I think he just says that to put pressure on you. No one would listen to him anyway, he seems too cranky," laughed Spencer._

" _Hahaha! I hope you're right," said Toby._

" _I am right! He goes around ordering everyone as if he is so better than anyone, but have you noticed that his shirt's been undone all day and he didn't notice? You can't act like you rule everything if you're dressed like that» added Spencer._

" _Yeah, I noticed. At first I wanted to tell him, but then he said he was going to sue me if it wasn't finish soon. So I let him go everywhere with his shirt undone. And apparently I'm not the only one," Toby said pointing his finger playfully at Spencer._

" _Hey! He told me that he wanted someone more experienced, but that I was the only person who accepted his offer so he'd had to deal with me. I was offended so I also let him show his belly to everyone," laughed Spencer._

 _They both laughed until it subsided and they fell into a comfortable silence. Toby knew he had to go back to the annex to supervise the work, but he didn't felt like saying goodbye to Spencer yet. So he took all his courage and went to invite her for a date:_

" _Spencer… I really had fun today… I was wondering if maybe…" he started but was soon interrupted by Spencer who sported a panicked face._

" _Toby… I also had a lot of fun, but I gotta go, see you! » she said before leaving her office as if Satan himself was after her, leaving a dumbstruck Toby behind._

"I don't know what to say… Are you sure that she actually didn't have to go for real?" asked Caleb, trying to find something explaining Spencer's behaviour.

"Man! You kidding? We were talking casually and then the second I start asking her out she jumps out of the room without glancing back, saying she has to be somewhere else. She clearly didn't want me to ask her out!" whined Toby.

"Maybe it's not about you, but about her. Maybe she has a boyfriend, or she just doesn't want one right now," suggested Toby.

"You do know that Hanna is transforming you into a sensitive person Caleb?" playfully said Toby.

"Yes I know, and I wouldn't have it any other way," he smiled, « Now come on, let's go back to the apartment, I'm sure Hanna and her friends have lots of things to ask us for the wedding! » he added with a sigh.

It was Friday night and Spencer was currently curled up on her couch, watching Nicholas Sparks movies and drinking wine while feeling miserable. The girls in those movies, how could they do it? They were beautiful, so full of confidence and they didn't run out every time a guy wanted to ask them out! No, that was only Spencer.

She felt bad for what she had done to Toby. She really liked him. He had offered her his help without any obligation and he had been so gentle with her! When he took her hand to clean her cut she had felt like a high school girl in front of her crush, feeling butterflies and everything. And his eyes, they were so beautiful, she wanted to get lost in them forever.

But Spencer wasn't ready to start seeing someone again. She hadn't been broken up with Wren for long and she felt like she wasn't in a place where she'd be good at dating. She probably would have started crying if Toby had asked a question about her past relationships! It wasn't time to date, it was time to get over that asshole of Wren!

She just hoped that Toby hadn't found her too rude. She knew she was bound to see him again since the work on the new annex wasn't yet done. If so, and it was probably the case, she would have to avoid him for the rest of the week.

Yeah, that was what she would do.


	5. Early Morning

**Hello everyone!**

 **Thank you for the great reviews you guys gave me once again for chapter 4! It is so motivating!**

 **You probably saw that someone asked me to make the chapters longer. I tried to, but it seems like I always have ideas for the same amount of words… This one is 200 words longer than the last some though. I'm trying to improve one step at a time ; )**

 **I hope you enjoy!**

 **Chapter 5: Early Morning (1496)**

The next morning, Spencer was awoken by a loud knock on her door, her head protesting in response. She had drunk too much red wine the night before and it was way too early to be awaken like that. Groggily, she got out of the bed dragging her feet and running her hands in her messy brown locks while the person at the door knocked restlessly.

"Jeez! I'm coming! No need to destroy the door!" she shouted harshly and rather uncharacteristically at the person daring to disturb her on a morning like that.

"Hanna! What are you doing here? It's like 7 A.M on a Saturday! I hope you have a good reason for waking me up!" said Spencer as she opened the door and saw who was her visitor.

Hanna's smile faded and was replaced by a curious expression as she took in Spencer's appearance: "What the hell did you do yesterday night? You are a mess!" she said dramatically .

"Well thank you! I might not look as horrific if I had woken up naturally instead of being awoken by someone trying to break down my door!" laughed Spencer slowly, getting less cranky as the sleepiness left her body.

"Anyway," said Hanna with a big smile, changing the subject to the main reason explaining her presence at Spencer's door; "I'm meeting with my friends for breakfast at 9 and I was wondering if you'd like to come?" she asked, hopeful that her new friend would join her old ones.

"Oh…" began Spencer, hesitating as to what she should do. She wasn't sure if she wanted to go. Yes, Hanna was really kind and Aria, from the small bit of talking she had done with her seemed also friendly, but she had yet to meet Emily, the swim coach. Wouldn't it be awkward? Those three girls had grown up together in Rosewood and were friends since forever. Spencer was in town since the week before! They would probably talk about lots of stuff and she'd feel left out or they wouldn't want to talk about personal stuff in front of her so they'd only make small talk and Spencer would feel like she was stopping them from having fun. Either scenarios weren't really appealing.

"Okay, before you say anything, I just want you to know that I know you want to say no… Yeah that probably sounded clearer in my head…Anyway! You probably think it's going to be awkward, but I swear it's not going to be!" said Hanna, stopping Spencer from saying no without further thinking. "Aria told me that she really liked you and Emily loves everyone so you two will get along I'm sure!"

"Why do you want me to come so bad?" asked Spencer suspiciously, not understanding why Hanna was trying so hard to get her to come to brunch with her friends. It wasn't like she was essential to the happening of the event.

"I just want you to like it here!" said Hanna defensively, but Spencer, always observant, saw a twinge of lie in her eyes.

"Really?" she insisted crossing her arms.

"Okay…." sighed Hanna, « It's not totally an act of altrism… » she said dramatically while rolling her eyes.

"Altruism," Spencer corrected automatically, which earned her big eyes from Hanna,

"Whatever, the thing is that I never met anyone with as much taste as you! Your apartment is just so great and you seem so good at planning! And I've been looking for someone to help me with my wedding for so long… I just thought that if I asked you you'd say no, but if I'd invite you for breakfast and you had fun with my friends and I you would be more incline to say yes," she finally admitted, clasping her hands together and almost begging Spencer to come.

Spencer laughed, "Oh Hanna! You should have just asked! You offered to help me with me moving in while you didn't even know me! Of course I'll help you with your wedding! Actually, when I was little I liked to cut pictures in bridal magazines and make collages and other stuff. It would be like I was a little girl again!"

"Really? You'll help me?" asked Hanna with hope.

"Of course!"

"Do you want to come to breakfast too? It's going to be fun! I swear" she added with a huge smile.

Spencer sighed, she hoped she wasn't going to regret it: "Okay, but only if you promise me that I won't stop you and your friends from having fun."

"I promise, you won't! You need to have some fun! Come on!" pleaded Hanna.

"All right, I'll come," finally accepted Spencer.

* * *

Spencer was glad she had accepted Hanna's offer for breakfast because she really was enjoying herself. Emily, the one of the three friends she hadn't met yet was absolutely sweet. Spencer felt Hanna and her friends were already kinder to her than Wren's friends had ever been. They always used to make jokes about how Spencer had stolen Melissa's fiancé or how she was younger and they couldn't understand why Wren had chosen her. Spencer always laughed because she knew that their goal wasn't to hurt her, they simply wanted to have fun and since she laughed they thought she didn't mind. Still, she already felt like that with Wren, she didn't need his friends to remind her. It was hard to pretend she liked them when sometimes she only wanted to punch one of them in the face for making her feel even more bad about herself than she already did.

"So, Hanna told us that you're going to help with the organisation of the wedding!" said Aria happily.

"Oh yes you should see Spencer's organisation skills! When I helped her moving in, she had all those boxes so well packed with indications as to where everything was supposed to go, a color code, a checklist and all that stuff organized people like," Hanna explained as Spencer blushed.

"Great! It will be nice to have some help," added Emily, taking the attention away from Spencer's crimson cheeks, "It will be easier to be three instead of two at supporting bridezilla cause right now, Aria and I are going through a lot of trouble trying to fulfill all her wishes!" laughed Emily.

"Hey! I'm seating right here!" Hanna answered playfully.

"Oh honey, it's nothing you've never heard before!" laughed Aria.

"Are you trying to scare me off?" joked Spencer.

"Oh no! Don't be scared, you'll get used to it," added Emily, still making playful jokes at Hanna's expense.

"Come on! Stop it you two! Spencer is like the best we could find to help! I don't want her to run out of the restaurant and to move back to Philly just because you exaggerated how bad it is to work on my wedding!' dramatized Hanna.

"Hahaha! Don't worry Hanna, I won't go anywhere, I love challenges!" replied Spencer with a wink.

"Oh!" sighed Aria, "I still can't believe you're getting married! I can't wait for Ezra and I to do the same!" said Aria with excitement.

"I know! It's going to be so great when we'll all be married! » squealed Hanna, « Who do you think will have babies first?" she asked.

"Not me for sure!" laughed Emily, "I'm gay and I don't even have a girlfriend! The process will take some time!"

Everyone laughed at Emily words.

"What about you Spencer," asked Aria, "Do you have a boyfriend?"

Spencer tensed at Aria's question. It was simple to answer: yes or no, but she didn't feel like explaining all her story if more questions were to follow about her social status, which was surely going to be the case.

"No, I don't," she simply replied, hoping that the three friends would drop the subject and go back to talking about cupcakes, flowers or ribbons.

"Oh! Then I should totally present you Caleb's best friend! I'm sure you two would be so great together!" squealed Hanna, probably already imagining herself marrying Spencer to Caleb's friends.

"I…" started Spencer uncomfortably, "I'm sorry Hanna, but I'm really not looking for any sort of relationship right now… I need some time for myself," she said truthfully.

Hanna's smile faded and she was about to ask more questions when Spencer saw Emily kick her in the legs, probably sensing Spencer's discomfort and wanting to shut her intrusive friend. Spencer gave her a thankful smile.

"So… when will we show to Spencer everything that's done about the wedding so she can start working on it?" asked Aria to change the subject, something everyone gratefully did.

"We can do this after breakfast if you guys are free," suggested Hanna.

"Sure," Spencer smiled. It wasn't like she had anything to do and she really liked Hanna's friends. She knew that she had finally found people with whom she could feel comfortable and this time, Wren wouldn't take them away from her!

* * *

TBC


	6. We Meet Again

**Hello everyone!**

 **Sorry for the long delay since my last update! Life is just busy…**

 **This chapter is once again longer than the last one ; ) I hope you enjoy it!**

 **Don't forget to leave a review, I love to know what you think and to see you previsions for the story!**

 **Have a good read!**

 **Chapter 6: We Meet Again**

It was already Monday morning, but somehow, unlike millions of people who dreaded the rising sun that marked the beginning of their week of work, Spencer was actually glad to wake up and get ready for work. She had spent a great week-end with Hanna and her friends, but she couldn't help but be excited at the idea of going back to work. It was the last week before the beginning of classes and she was hoping to make everything perfect before it started. She wanted to make a good impression, first on the principal who loved so much to remind her that he wanted someone more experienced for the job, but mainly she wanted to make a good impression on her students. She wanted them to like her class and listen with attention. She didn't want them to see her lessons just as yet another opportunity to text under their desk and day dream.

She walked to the school since it was sunny an hot outside and her block was just twenty minutes away from the school. She didn't have a car and had to take the bus when it was raining or snowing so as long as she could walk under clement weather, she would use the opportunity.

On her way to work, she spotted a coffee shop named The Brew. As she saw the name she remembered how much Hanna had told her about that place and their coffee. Being the ultimate coffee fan, Spencer couldn't resist the opportunity to discover the supposedly best roast in the world.

She pushed the door opened and the smell of fresh coffee invaded her nostrils. As she took in the place, glancing around, she was surprised to see Aria at the counter, ordering a medium soya latte and a pumpkin seeds muffin.

"Hey Aria," greeted Spencer as she walked towards her and the display of fresh pastries, glad to see a familiar face in this new place.

"Spencer! Hi! I see that you've discovered the best café of Rosewood, you're now officially a local," Aria joked with a smile.

"Well, I haven't tasted their coffee yet, I just saw it while walking to the school and I remembered how much Hanna told me about it. I thought I could give it a try" she explained.

"I'm sure you won't be disappointed; it really is the best!" Aria answered before looking at her watch, "Hey, I have to go because of an early meeting with the English teachers, but you said you were walking, I can give you a lift if you want? My car is parked right outside" she offered.

"No, thank you Aria, but I'd love to walk, it's a beautiful day and I'm still early! » Spencer smiled, "But what about we have lunch together?" suggested Spencer.

"I can't, I already promised my mom that I'd have lunch with her. She isn't often in town," sighed Aria, "But rain check okay?" she said before turning around to leave The Brew.

"Well, I'll just eat by myself outside then," thought Spencer.

And oh was she wrong!

* * *

The morning passed in a blur as Spencer was doing everything possible to put her things in order. She was really stressed out about that new job! She wanted to be as good as she could be. A Hastings, not matter what he was doing, always wanted perfection and Spencer, even though she wasn't molded quite exactly like every member of her family, wasn't spared that qualification.

After hours of hard work looking for French classic books she wanted to teach and making a plan for the subjects she had to cover in history, Spencer finally allowed herself a break. Not really knowing anybody besides Aria and Emily who were absent that day and not wanting to eat alone, she took her lunch and went to wander outside. It was one of the things she loved about Rosewood: how many trees and grass surfaces there were compared to Philly. She had always been one who enjoyed quiet times and places like parks and stuff and she now realized how that lacked in her life back in Philly.

She decided to eat sitting on a bench in the interior courtyard. It was calm and she was practically alone since the students had yet to start school. She had only gotten as far as opening her salad plate when she heard a voice call her from behind: "Hey Spencer!"

She turned around to see who was calling her. There weren't that many possibilities since she was pretty new in Rosewood.

Toby. It was Toby who was calling after her. And to say that she wanted to avoid him!

"Toby… Hi!" she said uncomfortably.

"Hey Spencer," he smiled nervously.

Unknown to Spencer, it had taken all of Toby's courage to approach her after the way he had been rejected the last time. Since Caleb had put a tiny bit of hope in his mind that maybe, just maybe, Spencer had really been in a rush to leave the last time, he wanted to at least try another time to ask her out before he gave up. He had spent the whole week-end thinking about her, something he never did! He didn't know how, but that girl really made him want to know more about her and he was willing to give it a shot!

Spencer sighed inwardly. She couldn't be mean to him and reject him again, he had been so kind to her the week before when she made a fool of herself by dropping her boxes. She just had to tell him honestly why she couldn't go out with him, he'd probably understand… Or maybe he wasn't even going to ask her out when she ran out of her office. Maybe he just wanted to tell her that he had fun, but that he had to go. Yeah, that was probably it! She didn't have to worry; Toby was just there as a friend!

"So, how is your work going?" she asked politely, gesturing for Toby to sit beside her, which he did with pleasure.

"Well, I'm confident that it'll be done by Thursday. I got all the material and found enough workers. The principal is finally happy and so am I!" he laughed.

"Great! I'm happy for you," she simply answered with a genuine smile.

"What about you? How are you settling in Rosewood?" he asked.

"It's been great. I met a few friends and I discovered The Brew, it really is the best coffee I've ever tasted," Spencer said while tossing her salad around with her fork.

"Oh right! I really like The Brew too, in fact I think everyone in Rosewood does! I happen to live in the loft above the café you know," he said.

"Really?" Spencer asked looking at him with her eyebrows raised. Damn! She couldn't go there anymore! She'd be too afraid to bump into him.

"Yeah, the owner offered it to me for nothing if I made renovations in the loft and the coffee shop. I would have been a fool to refuse," he stated.

"So you're the one who built The Brew?" asked Spencer impressed. She had to admit that he really had great taste and was quite talented. The place was beautiful.

"Yeah, but I have nothing to do with how they can make their coffee taste so good!" he laughed before both of them fell into a comfortable silence.

Toby was the one to break it: "Spencer," he began, "There's something that I wanted to ask you the other day, but I didn't have the time,"

Oh no! she thought, not again! She didn't want to reject Toby! He was so kind! And she'd be lying if she said that she wasn't attracted to him, but she wasn't ready to date someone else, not after Wren. She wasn't ready to have her heart broken again. She'd just have to be honest with him then. And maybe it wasn't even what he wanted to ask!

"Yes," Spencer said, allowing him to continue which made Toby smile, knowing that at least this time she wasn't running away.

"I just wanted to know if you'd consider going to diner with me or something one night this week," he finished rambling.

"Toby…" she began, not knowing if she could find the right words, "I really like you, but…" she didn't know how to say it without hurting him, "I broke up with my boyfriend of four years recently and I'm just not ready for that… that type of diner… you understand?" she asked, hoping that he would understand and not be mad at her.

Toby's smile faded, "Oh…" He didn't want to let his deception show, but Spencer could see it clearly on his face. He recomposed himself pretty fast though, "Yeah, of course I understand Spencer… Can we be friends though?" he asked with hope.

"Of course, I mean, you do live above my new favourite coffee shop, we're bound to meet again," she said with a shy smile.

"I want you to know that if you need anything, I'll be there okay? » he said sincerely. He understood what Spencer was going through, he himself had broken up with his long term girlfriend not so long ago. They had been engaged and Toby thought he would make his whole life with her. But Yvonne obviously thought otherwise because she broke up with him a few months after their engagement. Toby should have seen it coming since she hadn't even started planning her wedding and she didn't talk about it with anyone. Compared to how Hanna was, it felt like they were never really engaged. Still, he was devastated when she left him. He didn't know how Spencer and her boyfriend broke up, but he could relate to how she was feeling.

« Thank you Toby, » she replied softly, glad that she could somehow count Toby as her friend. It was a small town and it was better to keep good relations with everybody. She just hoped that her heart would stop fluttering every time Toby was close to her because she didn't know if she could fight that feeling for long.

* * *

TBC


	7. Diner

**Hey guys! Thank you for the kind reviews again : ) It's always so great to see people responding to my story!**

 **This new chapter is the longest one yet! I really tried hard and I hope you'll appreciate it! It's a scene I think some of you have been waiting for ; )**

 **Good read!**

 **Chapter 7: Diner**

The following week passed by in a blur and before Spencer could register anything, it was once again Friday night.

Spencer had bumped a few times into Toby here and there during the week. It really was a small town and there were just not enough places to go to not meet someone you knew. She had seen him two times at The Brew, definitely now her favourite place in Rosewood, which wasn't surprising considering how he lived above it. She had also seen him at the grocery store and once, he was jogging in the park while she was reading under a tree, something she loved to do sometimes after a long day of work. Let's just say that it was hard for her to stop thinking about him, which she found herself doing more and more as time passed by. It was a real struggle to try not thinking about his ocean blue eyes and his messy hair.

Sometimes, especially when he was running with a tight t-shirt, she really needed to remind herself why she had said no to a date and why she wasn't ready to engage herself into a new relationship.

At least, that Friday night she'd have something to change her mind since Hanna had invited her at her apartment for dinner so she could finally meet the famous Caleb. Spencer was organizing his wedding and she had yet to meet the guy! It was about time!

It was 5 o'clock, already time for Spencer to cross the hall and go over to Hanna's. She glanced in the mirror one last time to make sure that she was presentable. She had chosen a simple marine dress in a classic cut for the event. Nothing too fancy, but she had still tried to look her best. One of the downright of being friends with Hanna Marin was that you always felt underdressed! She rubbed at imaginary wrinkles on her dress, smoothed her curly hair and put on a last coat of lipstick. When she was finally satisfied with her look, she took her keys and handbag and left for the night.

She crossed the hall and knocked at Hanna's door to have her open it with a big smile.

"Spencer! You look awesome!" she cried, "I'm so glad that you're here! I can't wait for you to meet Caleb" she said before taking Spencer's hand and guiding her into the apartment.

"Caleb!" called Hanna, "Spencer's here! Come meet her!"

A voice answered from what Spencer supposed was the kitchen, considering that her apartment was made on the same model.

"Hi Spencer, nice to finally meet you! Hanna told me so much about you," said Hanna's fiancé to present himself and extending his hand to shake.

Spencer was about to answer that she was as equally pleased to meet him, but they were interrupted by a knock at the door.

"I wonder who it is," said Hanna, genuinely confused, "You're the only person we were waiting for!" she said looking at Caleb who now sported a guilty look. That was all it took for Hanna to understand what was happening.

"Caleb Rivers! I hope it isn't what I think it is!" she scolded before going to answer to the person who had just knocked for a second time.

"Hey Hanna! Thank you for having me over!" said a male voice Spencer thought she recognized. She just hoped it wasn't who she thought it was.

Her fear was confirmed when Hanna's second guest entered the room. It was no other than the person she was desperately trying to stop thinking about.

"Toby? What are you doing here?" she asked confused. Never once she had thought about the possibility of Toby being friends with Hanna, but hey, it was indeed a small town.

"Spencer? You're Hanna's friend?" he replied as an answer, as confused as she was.

Spencer turned to Hanna as she realized what was happening, feeling betrayed at the same time; "You promised me Hanna! I told you I wasn't ready and yet you invite someone!" she accused.

"Spencer please! I swear I have nothing to do with this! I didn't know he was coming…" she pleaded before turning to Caleb, "You Mr have some serious explaining to do!"

Caleb looked sheepishly to the floor.

"Man are you serious? I told you I didn't want to!" said Toby, realizing Caleb had done that on purpose so he could meet a girl. Unknown to Caleb, Toby already knew the girl and he wasn't really glad to be force to spend a night with her after she'd just reject him. Even though they had agreed to be friends, he didn't think it was a good idea to have dinner with a girl who refused his advance when the invitation was clearly made in purpose for them to hit it off.

Caleb finally looked up from the floor.

"I'm sorry okay… I just thought it would be funnier if Spencer had someone to talk to other than a couple and I thought that Toby could find it fun to meet someone, but apparently they already know each other… I screw up, I'm sorry" he said.

"It's alright, I'll just leave," said Toby, "I don't want to ruin your night Spencer," he explained and Spencer felt guilty for being the reason why he felt this way. She couldn't let him go back to spend his Friday alone after he was expecting a dinner with his friends. He had dressed up quite nicely with a fancy light blue shirt and had even brought flowers for his host. Even though it might be awkward to have dinner with him given the context in which they had both been invited, she knew she had no right to let him leave.

"No Toby, stay," said Spencer softly, "You won't ruin anything. I was shocked to find you here, but not mad. We're friends right?" she said with a smile.

Toby smiled with relief, "Yeah, of course, I'll stay then,"

Hanna sighed in frustration. She wasn't used to being left in the dark. She was used to be the one who knew everything. Gossiping was one of her favourites. How come Spencer had met the hottest celibate in all Rosewood and she didn't know about it? Especially since he was her fiancé's best friend!

"Would anyone care to explain me how come you two know each other?" she asked with a hint of impatience in her voice.

"We met at Rosewood High…" simply began Spencer before explaining how she had dropped all her stuff and how Toby came to the rescue.

Hanna shot her a look in response, clearly meaning that she wanted to talk to Spencer in private.

"Why don't you come help me in the kitchen Spencer? While the boys could set the table?" she suggested with a non-subtle tone, signalling to everyone that she wanted to talk, alone, with Spencer.

The later simply followed her to the kitchen, knowing it was better to follow than to protest, even though she wasn't ready for the questions that were sure about to come. And they did.

"Would you care to explain me how come you didn't tell me that you met Toby? He's like the hottest guy in Rosewood, after Caleb of course," said Hanna as soon as both friends found themselves alone in the kitchen. Hanna suddenly gasped and put her hand over her mouth!

"Spencer Hastings!" she cried.

"What?" she asked, dumfounded.

"You are the mysterious girl that Toby met last week!" she said matter-of-factly in a whisper, not wanting the guys to overhear them after they had been alerted by Hanna's gasp.

"I don't know what you're talking about!" Spencer lied.

"No! I know it! When Caleb and him went out a couple of days ago, there was a girl who kept eyeing him. When Caleb urged him to go talk to her, he replied that he couldn't because he had met a girl at work and he didn't know if she was interested or not! I totally forgot that nowadays work is Rosewood High for Toby!" she squealed in excitement.

"Okay, maybe it was me… but don't talk about it please Hanna, it's really awkward " Spencer pleaded.

"Why? I told you know I needed to present you Caleb's best friend, but you didn't even need my help. I told you you two would hit it off!"

"But he asked me out and I said no… I am just not ready for that… not after… I…" she rambled, still not wanting to explaining how she had found her sister in bed with her boyfriend.

Hanna's smile faded, but she understood, "Hey! It's alright Spencer! If I know a respectful guy it got to be Toby. If you said no you can bet that he won't try anything! I just think that you'll regret it when you'll see how great he is" she teased.

Spencer half smiled and was about to say something when the boys interrupted and entered the kitchen.

"Table all set!" said Caleb, "Do you need help with anything?" he asked before pecking Hanna on the cheek.

Hanna looked around her to see if she had everything and she hit her forehead with her palm.

"Shit! I forgot the wine! I was supposed to grab it after work, but it totally slipped out of my mind" she exclaimed, "Could you go get some Caleb?" she pleaded with a pout.

"Of course honey" he said grabbing his keys that were laying on the counter and pecking Hanna on the lips before heading for the door.

"I'll be back in a few minutes!" he called from the doorway.

Spencer and Toby were standing still in the kitchen not really knowing what to do. They hadn't even looked at each other because of the awkwardness, both hating to know that they had been invited by Caleb to be matched together. Toby knew he needed to talk with his friend; Hanna was transforming him into a male version of herself!

"I'm going to get the stuff we need to discuss about the wedding Spencer, it's in my room," said Hanna, breaking both Spencer and Toby from their thoughts, "Would you both mind checking on the diner while I go? Don't forget to add spices to the chicken Toby!" she asked before disappearing down the hallway towards her bedroom, not even letting her guests time to answer. Hanna simply left them with a smirk that went unnoticed by the two. She just hoped that they could use the time alone to talk a little.

"So…" began Toby, finally looking at Spencer, "You're Hanna's new friend! You must now think that Rosewood is really a small town if you didn't think that already," he added with a shy laugh.

"Yeah, let's just that it never happened to me in Philly! I never met a guy who happened to be the best friend of my new friend's fiancé!" she said laughing at how the situation had turned up.

That little chit chatting was enough for them to both start relaxing after overcoming the shock of finding each other in Hanna's apartment.

"We should check on the diner," suggested Toby, gesturing to the oven in which a chicken was getting roasted.

"Yeah… sure," replied Spencer, "What do you want me to do?"

Toby looked around and spotted the salad bowl which had yet to be filled. There was a bag of fresh lettuce and some other vegetables next to it, ready to be chopped.

"You could make the salad?" he suggested, "I'll check the chicken and add the spices like Hanna told me," he said before crouching and opening the oven's door.

A delicious smell invaded Spencer's nostrils as he did so. She could already feel herself salivate. It had been a while since she had eaten a great homemade dish. She wasn't the best cook and having to cook for one didn't appeal to her. She preferred to eat some eggs, cereals and fruits and stuff like that.

When she lived with Wren it used to be him who cooked for them both almost all the time. He was really great at it. She still remembered how tasteful were his meals, especially his lemon salmon…

"Earth to Spencer!" called Toby with a smirk.

Spencer jumped and her cheeks got red. She hadn't realized that she was lost in her thoughts, with the salad bowl in one hand, suspended above the counter.

"Sorry Toby, I was just lost in my thoughts," she explained, "What were you saying?" she asked.

"I asked if you wanted to taste it, to know if I have to add something else" he specified.

Spencer went next to him and took the spoon he was handing her. He was actually holding it for her so she could had let him fed her, but she wasn't really comfortable with that. Probably realizing what he was doing, Toby blushed a dark shade of red and Spencer pretended that nothing happened. She just took the spoon and stuffed it in her mouth to get a taste.

"Oh my god!" cried Spencer, "This is like really good! Hanna is such a great cook!" she said her mouth still full.

"Well thank you, but it's actually Toby's recipe," said the blond girl, walking into the kitchen with a big box full of ribbons, color samples, flowers and everything they needed to start talking about the wedding. She rested it on the counter and went to taste the chicken too, taking the spoon from Spencer's hands.

"It's not as good as the one you made last month, but I didn't expect it to be, no one cooks better than you Toby," said Hanna with a smile.

"So you help people without any obligation, you are extremely talented in construction and you cook, do you have any other secret talent?" Spencer teased.

Toby blushed; "Not really…" he said humbly before putting the chicken back into the oven and adding the spices, trying to busy himself so the girls wouldn't see him blush. He had definitely been blushing more that night than he ever did in his whole life.

"You're kidding! Toby has so many talents! Oh! He is actually also really good in skiing, he participated in competitions when he was a teenager!" Hanna said excitedly, glad to be able to praise her friend to Spencer.

"Hanna, it's no big deal," said Toby blushing even more. Jeez! What was his problem tonight with the blushing?

"Wow, I'm impressed," said Spencer truthfully, "I actually never went skiing, it kind of scares me," she admitted with a shrug.

"You never went skiing!" cried Hanna, "Oh my god! We go like every year for Christmas! My father owns a cabin in Utah that he lets me use for that time of the year. It's his way to pretend that he cares about me I guess… Anyway it makes a really good place to stay for Christmas. We always all go together: Caleb and I, Emily, Aria and Toby. I guess this year Ezra will come too. You should totally come Spencer!"

"Hum… I don't know Hanna… We'll see in time," she said feeling uncomfortable. Oh god! What would she do! It was clear that Toby was a really good friend of them. She couldn't start to hang out with him all the time! She had enough trouble trying to forget him when she wasn't seeing him, imagine if she had to spend all her time with him! Maybe she could just admit to herself that she liked him and accept a date… "No Spencer!" she chastised herself. She had to get over Wren first! She still found herself thinking about him all the time, like minutes before when she hadn't heard Toby talking to her because she was absorbed in her memories… What kind of girl threw herself into a new relationship when she wasn't over the previous one? Not her for sure!

"Yeah, you're right! We're just in September, I still have three months to convince you!" Hanna winked.

* * *

TBC


End file.
